Where the heck did Charles McVety get 4 hundred thousand voter names? And where is the money coming from?
The head of the family coalition, Canada Christian College president Charles McVety, confirmed that the coalition, with the support of the much broader Defend Marriage campaign, plans to target Mr. Turner and two other Conservatives in the election nomination phase — B.C. MP James Moore and Nova Scotia MP Gerald Keddy.
Tim Naumetz of the Ottawa Citizen has an explanatory article on what is essentially a new problem in the federal Conservative Party nomination process, one that is having unintended consequences. Every sitting Conservative MP can have their nomination challenged because of a new rules by the national committee, and so far three sitting MP’s have been openly targeted by one special interest group. Â
Any incumbent Conservative MP is in potential trouble mid-term. That is issue number one. Issue number two is vilifying a ‘rogue’ MP from the national level down. Both issues need to be addressed. The public face of this issue is Halton MP Garth Turner.
Issue number one:
The Conservative Party national council has taken over control of all nomination meetings by giving Mr. Finley the authority to determine when nomination meetings will be called in the 125 ridings held by Conservative MPs. Traditionally, those decisions have been made by local riding associations of federal parties with general deadlines set by the party.
No longer. A Conservative nomination meeting is set for September 11, 2006 in the Halton riding, the local Conservative Party executive has had no say. Special interest groups such as McVety’s Canada Family Action Coalition and Defend Marriage only need 400 people signed up by Saturday to show up in September. The signers only need to be 14 years of age and fork out 10 dollars.
In an urban setting, that’s not even breaking a sweat. So instead of tending to constituents, sitting MP’s are tossed into election mode. McVety is planning to float candidates in three ridings. Halton, Port Moody-Coquitlam, and Nova Scotia South Shore. Incumbents James Moore, Garth Turner and Gerald Keddy are being challenged because of their vote on Bill C-38. However the new rules from the national level are going to slice both ways. Rumours are floating other Conservative MP’s are sending out letters, saying they are facing serious challenges.
The second issue:
Firebrand Conservative MP Garth Turner says a Christian coalition against same-sex marriage has targeted him and may usurp the election nomination in his riding because top-down party rules are “tailor made” for takeovers by special interest groups.
Mr. Turner, whose MP web log has been a thorn in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s side for months, said yesterday that a candidate supported by the Canada Family Action Coalition and Defend Marriage began organizing early this week for a snap nomination contest the party’s national campaign director called last Friday.
Other conservative MP’s are going to find themselves at the whim of the National Executive ruling which was set in place to insure each riding had a candidate ready to run in the next election.
If an incumbent has to fight for his riding nomination mid-term against openly special interest groups, who is going to serve the voters? Every MP gets voted in as a newbie and needs time to learn the ropes. What this ruling can do is toss single interest politicians into a race, and potentially put them on the Hill, throwing out seasoned and effective politicians because voters won’t have the time for this foolishness. I guess we’ll have to find the time, and I suspect many of us are going to resent this.
Busy day, and this deserves careful attention.
Squeaky wheels get the grease.
Some previous McVety posts.Â
Canadian Religious Right tactics.
Gearing up again.Â
Jump off the sidebar, the links are set up to give you similar posts in the archives. Charles McVety’s previous exploits are well known as is his propensity for bellicous postering in the media spotlight and his floating of his college VP in a previous election, as well as buying up domain names of politicans. McVety’s association with fringe groups in the US are also known, as is his copious use of religious right buzz words well known to our US friends.
Blogging Tories - Nomination WatchÂ
Behind the Headlines
Alberta Ardvark: Edmonton-Millwoods-Beaumont
Behind the Headlines – Rondo Thomas
CTV
Unholy war of words
The Turner Report
Michael D. Donison National Executive Conservative Party Statement: via: David Aikens
Hill Times – 2006 Liberal mid-term nomination protection
Charles McVety holds degrees from his own college and a college his father started in Florida. He is listed as holding D.Min. California State Christian University.
I can’t find this University. Anyone got the link?
There used to be an old link to “California State Christian University” at http://myhome.netsgo.com/cscu/ but it’s been down for some time.
There is a new URL at http://www.cscu.edu but it says basically under construction. It has a contact page though with an address and phone number in california. With Dr. Kim as the contact person.
An interesting thing though is that there appears to be a “California State Christian University” registered in Korea. A South Korean directory of universities list “California State Christian University” with the old URL as the website.
It almost looks like this isn’t really a “state” university in the conventional sence. Based on research it looks more like a remote-learning degree thingy partially based in Korea.
I live in Halton, there’s a small online discussion about Garth Turner’s nomination at http://www.hawthornevillager.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=3850
Thanks Rick!
I’m not too sure I completely understand this:
1. The power of each CPC riding has been taken away by the head of CPC. If head office wants to get rid of an MP then he can?
2. Any fringe group can enroll members and take down an MP if they disagree with a vote – i.e. if an animal rights group is upset about the seal hunt and their MP votes to continue the seal hunt then they can organize 400 people, sign them up for $10.00 and force them out of office?
3. McVety may be questionable credentials but he is nobodies fool. He is a puppet-master for fundamentalists who are afraid of gays, public education, medicine and just about anything that affects our lives. If he is so sure the MP’s are evil why doesn’t he run for office?
4. How can a minority fringe group run the Conservative Party? Are they determine to elimiate it? No self-respecting Canadian is going to vote for a bunch of untrained candidates with single mindsets.
The CPC seems to have shot themselves in the foot.
I don’t understand some of the reasoning or mechanisms either. Change isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but what I see this doing is putting voters at an inconvenience. From the drop of the writ to declaring the winner we concentrate on a federal election for 60 days. Elections Canada goes back to work the next day and party wonks start the next day for the next election. Makes sense. But why drag voters through the mill with a decision like this?
“If head office wants to get rid of an MP then he can?”
Local riding execs were notified of this decision in June. I bet the fur has been flying. Now the public knows and more fur will fly.
It looks that way doesn’t it? Allow a nomination meeting over the head of the local exec when people aren’t paying attention.
“…then they can organize 400 people, sign them up for $10.00 and force them out of office?”
That could happen before, but it looks like it’s going to be easier to do that – intentional or unintentional?
“If he is so sure the MP’s are evil why doesn’t he run for office?”
And be the puppet master too? Not enough hours in a day.:^)He could run, good question – why wouldn’t the Christian Heritage Party be acceptable?
“How can a minority fringe group run the Conservative Party?”
The party isn’t run by members, it’s run by the lifers, the connected and the monied pros. I think the question is why would local ridings permit the national executive to carry out this decision?